In summer 2020, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority celebrated the reopening of its Downtown Station at Fourth and Trinity, billing the new infrastructure as a mobility hub that would enhance the area’s public space and “make easy connections” between MetroRail and other modes of transportation. Passengers would be able to hop off the MetroRail and access […]
District 9
Posted inHousing
Neighbors protested housing for homeless Austinites. Then, they (sort of) changed their stance.
Austin’s Planning Commission meets every other Tuesday in the cavernous chambers of City Hall. Members assemble virtually and in person to hear requests and pleas from the public about what should be built in the city. Plot by plot, these volunteers vote yea or nay to changes that will shape Austin. On a night in […]
Posted inPreservation
Historic zoning for Westgate Tower delayed amid concern over tax breaks
The Planning Commission postponed a decision Tuesday on whether the Westgate Tower should be zoned historic due to concern about a tax break for condo owners. Preservationists deem the tower at 1122 Colorado Street historic for its architecture and its association with historical figures. The 26-story, 261-foot-tall building, built in 1966, is an “excellent example […]
Posted inDevelopment
Parks board raises concerns over Statesman PUD proposal, calling it ‘not superior’
The Parks and Recreation Board said Wednesday that the highly anticipated mixed-used development plan composed of several buildings on the former Austin American-Statesman lot does not do enough to protect the iconic space in front of the Congress Avenue Bridge. In a unanimous recommendation to City Council, the parks board said the proposal does not fulfill […]
Posted inDevelopment
Stream offers more details on Sixth Street renovation plans
Stream Realty Partners offered up more information this week on its plans to remake a section of the Sixth Street entertainment district, emphasizing daytime business and a move away from the high-volume shot bars and nightclubs that have dominated the area for decades. At this week’s Arts Commission meeting, Stream senior vice president Caitlyn Ryan […]
Posted inPreservation
Landmark commission gives green light to five-story makeover for West Sixth
After hurtling successfully through the Historic Landmark Commission earlier this month, investment firm Riverside Resources is one step closer to carrying out a project that would transform 2 acres of restaurant and retail space on West Sixth Street into a five-story commercial and residential development. The project previously known as Clarksvillage – the name is pending […]
Posted inElections
District 9 Council candidates chat with the ‘Monitor’: Part II
 Read Part I of the series here. Linda Guerrero brings to the table an institutional knowledge of parks and environmental issues, along with expertise on affordability and transportation more broadly. In addition to being an AISD teacher for nearly three decades, she’s also spent time on the Environmental Commission and the Parks and Recreation Board, two […]
Posted inLocal Politics
District 9 City Council candidates chat with the ‘Monitor’: Part I
Read Part II of the series here. With Council Member Kathie Tovo term-limited and six candidates who have raised more than $25,000 so far, District 9 is thought to be one of the more competitive races this local election season. One consequence of that competition: It can be difficult for voters to differentiate the candidates, […]
Posted inDevelopment
A bookshop and a boutique grocery store are headed to Hyde Park’s former post office space
Since the beloved post office in Austin’s Hyde Park neighborhood shuttered in June 2021, neighbors have wondered what will become of the spot at the corner of 43rd Street and Speedway. The one-story brick building has remained vacant since its closure, serving as little more than a canvas for graffiti. But new details are coming […]
Posted inPlanning
Council extends HealthSouth redevelopment negotiations
After a series of delays, the proposed redevelopment of two city-owned downtown parcels inched a step forward Thursday when City Council extended negotiations with developer Aspen Heights Partners. Aspen Heights plans to build 921 residential units, some affordable, in two towers on the former HealthSouth tract, which sits next to Waterloo Park at 1215 Red […]
Posted inPlanning
Memo brings questions about affordability, public benefits for Statesman redevelopment
A new memo that forecasts significantly higher costs for affordable housing and other public benefits proposed by the city for the largest development project in the South Central Waterfront has raised a number of questions as the planned unit development process moves forward in the coming weeks. City Council was scheduled to conduct the second […]
Posted inPreservation
Hancock home to Tom Miller and Emma Long to become historic landmark
In a brief respite from demolition cases, the Historic Landmark Commission is celebrating a likely contender for landmark designation at 803 Park Blvd. in North Central Austin. The Miller-Long house was built in 1929 in the heyday of the early Hancock neighborhood boom, eventually serving as residence to formative civic leaders Tom Miller and, later, […]